Book Review: The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 31, 2010 . 3:17AM

In “The Actor and the Housewife” by Shannon Hale, a new screenwriter and dedicated Mormon housewife named Becky stumbles into a chance meeting with Felix, an actor she’s had a crush on for most of her adult life. For most women, drooling and acting a fool would commence, but Becky is pregnant and Mormon and too cool for that and it leads into a storybook friendship that will take Becky and Felix through the next 10 years of their lives. The book itself spends a great majority of the time asking the question as to whether or not a man and a woman with great friendship chemistry have to be more or if they can remain friends.

Ultimately, the book is a fun, easy read. The character of Becky is written with great wit and a sassy demeanor. Unfortunately, her struggles with her feelings for Felix come off as too easy and faith played. The author spends a lot of time letting Becky nag Felix, and the reading audience, with Mormon and faith based principles. It comes across less dynamic. Felix, as a character, allows himself to be harassed and rarely pushes Becky back as a character. In this way, Becky never grows as a person. There is an instance where Becky is forced to see how Felix felt in situations she put him in, but the writing feels hard to read and inauthentic. Growth is not shown in her character and the reader feels somewhat harassed and put upon much in the way Felix might feel.

Tragedy occurs about halfway through the book and rather than outright deliver in writing style, the author skips a great majority of what could be character development because “Becky would want it that way.” It was a major cop-out in the chance to really show some movement. If, as an author, you choose to force the faith of your character on your audience in one setting you absolutely must show the lack of faith in other settings instead of glossing over it.

Overall, the book was good. The lack of characterization and movement makes it a quick read, if an unbelievable one. The ending, again, felt rushed and as a reader I felt somewhat cheated, but this is chick lit. A well-developed ending is probably not to be expected. I was disappointed, but there was hope in the ending and I suppose that is the message the author wished to convey.

*Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thanks for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts on it with others!

Summer : A time for rest and reflection

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 25, 2010 . 6:41PM

Some of you, and you know who you are, have been complaining that I haven’t been around.

My bad.

There was a time I wrote in my blog every day. This past summer, however, was a time for me to spend discovering who I have become as an adult and if I am satisfied with myself at the present moment or if I am ready to move forward and become more. Part of my job, that has become a part of who I am, is the ability to assess myself and use that assessment for self-reflection and introspection. It’s constant and consuming and can be overwhelming in both the best and the worst of ways.

Part of writing a blog is understanding and knowing the proper balance of how much to share with people and how much to keep sacred. This summer was pretty sacred for me out of requirement, necessity and propriety. The good news in all of this is that I feel like I have a better understanding of who I am and where I am going. One of the first things I learned in my undergraduate psychology Motivation course was that humans are motivated the most by Fear and Love and if you can combine the two there are few things humans won’t do.

It has been the summer of fear and love and confusion and growth.

I am me, which is more than enough, and I am content with the change and growth that are occurring even when it is scary.

It’s good to be back.

Solitude denied

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 12, 2010 . 2:22PM

Every now and then I tend to forget that my blog isn’t solely my blog. There are many of the most amazing people I’ve ever met or never met that stick their head onto this little piece of my soul and nibble on whatever I put out there to taste for flavor. Sometimes what is on the plate is delicious and insightful and leaves them happy, and hopeful and better for spending their time searching for nourishment among the many places they could look for that little something extra in their lives…however their lives may be. Sometimes…frankly it’s just leftovers. Some crust. A leftover thought that may have been worth sharing and building upon but something in my life has blocked it from my elaboration or my heartfelt need to push forward upon it and so I lay it on the plate and hope that somewhere they can see that there was love but the love was either so raw that it couldn’t be elaborated upon or it was just…enough.

And sometimes…we don’t need more than that. Sometimes, as people, we just need enough. So for today, I offer you my enough. Each of you makes me smile, think and realize things about myself that I would not otherwise realize. Thank you for enough.